Wallace Edwards - Author/Illustrator

Biography

Wallace Edwards, a graduate of the Ontario College of Art, currently divides his time between Toronto and Kingston working as a freelance illustrator. He has created artwork for magazines, posters and the Toronto Zoo. His first children's picture book, Alphabeasts, won the 2002 Governor General's Award for Children's Literature Illustration. Wallace's third book, Mixed Beasts was also shortlisted for the Governor General's Award and won the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award.
Wallace's work is widely received and has won the IRA Children's Choice Award and the ForeWord Book of the Year Award. His newest title, The Painted Circus, continues to build on his reputation as an exquisite artist and author.

Q A

Birthplace?
Ottawa, Ontario.

When is your birthday?
September 20th.

Where do you live?
I divide my time between Toronto and Kingston, Ontario.

Do you have any pets?
No, not yet.

What is you favorite book?
Moby Dick.

What are your hobbies?
My favorite hobby is playing guitar.

What was your schooling or training?
I went to the Ontario College of Art.

How did you get involved with children's books?
In my spare time, I did a collection of paintings that seemed to work as a book. I enjoyed it a lot and plan to do more.

What is the thing that you like the most about creating children's books?
I like knowing that my audience has great imagination.

How do you research or create your illustrations?
I look at pictures and things around me and draw a lot.

What material do you work in?
I work in watercolors and pencil. Both feel natural for my drawing style.

Do you have any tips for young creators?
Keep at it!

What is you favorite childhood memory?
My favorite memory is playing with my brothers and sisters as a kid.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
From the beginning, I wanted to be an artist. I started drawing when I was three.

What is the weirdest or most interesting job you've ever had?
I worked as a cremator at a cemetery in Ottawa for a summer when I was 19.